Labels have been used in the prior art most frequently to convey the price of an object to a consumer, but may also contain other information including inventory control numbers and/or the retailer's name. The labels may additionally relate information by their color (for example, a "red tag" sale). Labels of this type include adhesion labels, tag labels, and dumbbell labels.
Adhesion labels are useful for labeling flat items, but are not desirable if the label must be placed on the end product and then be scraped off the product by the purchaser. In addition, it is difficult to use an adhesion label for a merchandising display to effectively gain the attention of a potential customer because the adhesion label can only be supported by the product itself. An adhesion label is typically not stiff enough to extend above or below the product, and even if it is, the exposed sticky backside would become a magnet for dust and debris, ruining the aesthetic value of the display.
Conventional tag labels include a hole, usually punched near one edge, through which a string is threaded and knotted to form a continuous loop. Tag labels are typically attached to objects having an appendage or some other type of hole through which the string can pass. While conventional tag labels are typically stiffer than the above-described adhesion labels, the method for connecting them to objects has prohibited them from being extremely useful in merchandising displays, since the tag is allowed to flop around with the slightest breeze, making the tag difficult to read in a display.
Dumbbell labels are adhesive-backed dumbbell shaped labels which can be attached to an item and secured thereto by folding upon itself. These labels are difficult to properly align, and there is no opportunity for a second try. In addition, a hole or appendage is required on the device being displayed for the dumbbell label to be properly used.
Thus, the above known labels are not adequately suited for merchandising displays. In addition, they do not take into account the special needs of merchandising electrical devices.
The prior art has shown some attempts at solving the above-described problems where electric wires are concerned, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. D336,930, D338,688, and D344,980, show identification tags for electric wires. These tags, however, are limited in use to electrical wires, and they are designed for installer/electrician use rather than for merchandising and for gaining the attention of potential customers.
Thus, there is a need for a merchandising tag which is specifically designed for use on an electrical device, and which solves the above-described problems of the prior art.